Delta 4 Heavy launches missile warning satellite
Posted: Sun, Nov 11, 2007, 8:09 AM ET (1309 GMT)
Making only its second launch, and the the first in nearly three years, a Delta 4 Heavy successfully launched the last in a series of missile warning satellites on Saturday night. The United Launch Alliance Delta 4 Heavy lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 8:50 pm EST Saturday (0150 GMT Sunday). After the upper stage completed a series of three burns, the DSP-23 satellite separated from the vehicle at about 3:10 am EST (0810 GMT) in geosynchronous orbit. DSP-23 is the last in the series of Defense Support Program (DSP) satellites, designed to provide early warning of missile launches around the globe; the DSP program will be replaced by the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) under development. The launch was the first operational mission for the Delta 4 Heavy, the most powerful member of the EELV family with three common core boosters as its first stage. The Delta 4 Heavy carried out a demonstration launch in December 2004, but a booster flaw caused the rocket to place the test payload into a lower-than-planned orbit.
Making only its second launch, and the the first in nearly three years, a Delta 4 Heavy successfully launched the last in a series of missile warning satellites on Saturday night. The United Launch Alliance Delta 4 Heavy lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 8:50 pm EST Saturday (0150 GMT Sunday). After the upper stage completed a series of three burns, the DSP-23 satellite separated from the vehicle at about 3:10 am EST (0810 GMT) in geosynchronous orbit. DSP-23 is the last in the series of Defense Support Program (DSP) satellites, designed to provide early warning of missile launches around the globe; the DSP program will be replaced by the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) under development. The launch was the first operational mission for the Delta 4 Heavy, the most powerful member of the EELV family with three common core boosters as its first stage. The Delta 4 Heavy carried out a demonstration launch in December 2004, but a booster flaw caused the rocket to place the test payload into a lower-than-planned orbit.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Tuesday, June 9
Irish company secures €1 million contract with European Space Agency
Irish Times — 5:52 am ET (0952 GMT) USSF Seeking Small, Medium-Launch Providers At Vandenberg
Aviation Week — 5:49 am ET (0949 GMT) Virgin Galactic’s Shares Take Wild Ride
Orange County (CA) Business Journal — 5:47 am ET (0947 GMT) How Elon Musk’s Friendship With the F.C.C. Smooths the Way for SpaceX’s I.P.O.
New York Times — 5:46 am ET (0946 GMT) SpaceX IPO Is Well Oversubscribed With $10 Billion Orders
Bloomberg News — 5:45 am ET (0945 GMT) |
